WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Boilermaker swimmers Garth Bringman, Eric Prugh and Giordan Pogioli all recorded career best times Friday during the second day of competition of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, being held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center.

In addition to their personal record books being rewritten, a total of three conference, eight meet and 14 Doris Z. Holloway pool records have been broken, as well.

Two of the Big Ten Conference records were broken in succession, as Indiana's Kevin Swander set the new standard in the 100-yard breaststroke (53.15) and Northwestern's Matt Grevers became the new conference record holder in the 100 backstroke (46.68). Grevers, a freshman, has been a great story for the Big Ten, already winning three events in two days; on Thursday, he won the 50 free and the 400 medley relay.

New meet records were set by Tony Swanson in the 100 butterfly (46.89) and the Michigan 800 freestyle relay team (6:21.77). Other victors from Friday night were Peter Vanderkaay in the 400 IM, who now has three wins under his belt this meet, his teammate Dan Ketchum, who won the 500 free, and Ohio State diver Mitchell Richeson, who triumphed off the 3-meter board.

Purdue had success of its own throughout the night, starting in the opening 200-yard medley relay, where it scored a season-best time of 1:29.09. Louis Paul, Tamas Bessenyei, Iggy Goh and Andre Pereira comprised this quartet that placed seventh.

In the 400-yard IM, Bringman set a new personal best of 3:55.75, which placed him 13th; Nick Cenci followed a few spots behind in 16th at 3:59.36. Prugh also made it to the consolation finals, placing 11th in the 200 free with his personal record of 1:38.53.

The Boilermakers' top scorers, once again were Paul and the breaststroke tandem of Bessenyei and Pogioli. Paul placed fourth in the 100 back with a season-best time of 48.20, while Bessenyei and Pogioli captured the third and sixth places in the 100 breaststroke. Pogioli's personal record was clocked at 54.68.

Despite the overall improvement of the team in day two, the Boilermakers are still in seventh with 200 points. Minnesota leads the overall team standings with 441.5 points, and Michigan is in second with 391 points.

The final day of the Big Ten Championships kicks off at Noon Saturday with the prelims of the 200 backstroke. Also on the agenda are the 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, as well as the platform diving competition and the 400 free relay. Saturday's finals begin at 5 p.m. with the first heat of the 1,650 free.

2004 Big Ten ChampionshipsDay 2 Notes and Quotes

NOTES

- Indiana captured the 200 medley relay with a Holloway Pool-record time of 1:27.40. The Hoosiers broke a three-year championship run by Minnesota in the event. Making up the team were junior Matt Leach, sophomore Kevin Swander, junior Murph Halasz and senior Claes Anderson. Indiana won this event once previously, in 1996. The 200 medley now has been contested 14 times, since 1991, with Minnesota owning eight crowns, Michigan three, Indiana two and Penn State one.

- Nine of the 10 times in the 200 medley relay were better than the previous Holloway Pool record of 1:29.71.

- A Michigan swimmer won the 400 IM for the seventh straight year, with sophomore Peter Vanderkaay capturing the crown in a NCAA 'A' mark and Holloway Pool-record time of 3:45.84. Andy Potts won the event in 1998, followed by Tim Siciliano from 1999 to 2002 and Chuck Sayao in 2003. Sayao finished sixth this year. A Wolverine now has won the event 15 times.

- Northwestern captured its first-ever 100 butterfly championship with senior Tony Swanson winning in an NCAA 'A' mark, Big Ten meet and Holloway Pool-record time of 46.89. He bettered his prelim time of 46.97 to improve his third-fastest time in Big Ten history behind Martin Zielinski (46.74) and Wisconsin's Matt Marshall (46.82).

- Michigan senior Dan Ketchum won his third 200 freestyle in four years with an NCAA 'A' mark and Holloway Pool record-time of 1:34.37. He was victorious in 2001 (1:34.99) and 2002 (meet-record 1:34.19) before Minnesota's Terry Silkaitis won in 2003, with Ketchum placing second. Silkaitis was second this year at 1:34.42, also an NCAA 'A' mark. Ketchum becomes the fifth swimmer in Big Ten history to win the event three times. Freshman Colin Russell of Indiana (1:35.96) and senior Todd Minnier of Penn State (1:36.17) also posted NCAA 'A' mark times in the finals.

- Sophomore Kevin Swander of Indiana broke the Big Ten and conference meet record in winning the 100 breaststroke at 53.15. It also established a Holloway Pool record. Jeff Hackler of Minnesota previously held both the Big Ten record at 53.24 and the meet mark at 53.66. Hackler won in 2002 and 2003. Swander is the first Indiana swimmer to win the event since John Walderman captured his second of two straight titles in 1984. Northwestern freshman Mike Alexandrov was second this year at 53.44, also an 'A' mark time. Tamas Bessenyei of Purdue, who won the event in 2001 and was second in 2002 and 2003, finished third at 54.07.

- Swander is the first IU competitor to win a swimming event since 1996. The last Hoosier to exit the pool victorious was Sam Gaskowski, who won the 50 and 100 freestyle that season.

- Northwestern senior Matt Grevers dominated the 100 backstroke, setting Big Ten, meet and Holloway Pool records with an NCAA 'A' cut time of 46.68. He is the first-ever Wildcat to win the event. Michigan sophomore Chris DeJong, who placed sixth last year, was second with an 'A' cut time of 47.19.

- Ohio State junior Mitchell Richeson defeated defending champion Timo Klami, a junior from Iowa, to win the three-meter diving competition. Richeson amassed a Big Ten meet record score of 653.75 to 608.15 for Klami. Both bettered the Holloway Pool standard. The Big Ten record is 664.20 by Mark Grabos of Minnesota in 1988. Klami was victorious in 2003 with a score of 596.40.

- Michigan continued its recent dominance of the 800 freestyle relay, setting a Big Ten meet record with an NCAA 'A' mark of 6:21.77. The team was made up of sophomore Davis Tarwater, sophomore Peter Vanderkaay, junior Andrew Hurd and senior Dan Ketchum. The Wolverines also won in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Either Michigan or Minnesota has won the event the last 13 years. Minnesota was second this year with an NCAA 'A' mark time of 6:23.94. The top seven teams all bettered the previous Holloway Pool mark of 6:38.45.

- Michigan's Peter Vanderkaay broke the pool record in the 400 IM with his NCAA 'B' mark of 3:48.67. The old record of 3:55.65 was posted last November at the Boilermaker Invitational by Southern Illinois' Derek Helvey.

WINNERS' QUOTES

Matt Leach, Indiana (200-yard medley relay)On winning the 200 medley relay...
"We've trained hard all year for this. Honestly, we kind of knew this would happen coming into this race. We have faced all these teams head to head and always came out on top. We just had to hit our exchanges and turns and we knew the win would come. Mainly, thanks is needed to our coaches and teammates. They pushed us to get to this level."

On teammate Murph Halasz...
"Murph is an up-and-coming star. We only graduate four swimmers, and we are really looking to next year. We have made great progress and just have to keep moving in the right direction. We have some guys who are really stepping up. They say they're going to win, and then they go out there and do it."

Peter Vanderkaay, Michigan (400 Individual medley)On claiming the 400 yard individual medley...
"It feels great to just go out there and get some points for the team. We're behind a little bit and we have some making up to do, so I'm just trying to do what I can."

On winning his second race of the meet...
"I just wanted to go out there and race. It was anyone's race, so I went out there, tried my hardest, came out with the win, and I was happy with it."

Tony Swanson, Northwestern (100 Butterfly)On winning the 100 Fly...
"It's been a long four years, so it's nice to finally get a win in an individual event. I've had my share of ups and downs, and last year was just an all-out disappointment, but it feels great to bounce back. This is the greatest experience of my life. I'm just proud to be a part of this team."

On coaches and parents...
"I have to definitely thank my coaches. I don't know who to start with. Sergio is my main coach and is always there for me, and Bob picks up where Sergio leaves off. Also, my parents have been there every step of the way. I couldn't have done this without the help of my teammates in training."

Dan Ketchum, Michigan (200 Freestyle)On winning the conference title his senior year...
"It means a lot to go out my senior year with a win in this event. This is a big one for me."

On this win's importance to his team...
"This is huge because we needed a morale booster, and that was my biggest motivation. We've been up and down, and we're a little bit behind. We needed a big one to get us going again."

Kevin Swander, Indiana (100 Breaststroke)On Winning the 100 Breaststroke...
"It has been fun, but it has been a long year and it has been a lot of hard work. I've spent hours in the pool, but it payed off. I don't want to downplay this, but Big Ten's is a stepping stone to the NCAA Championships. I was confident coming into this, but it was a tough race. All eight competitors could have won this. It was just my race tonight."

On the influence of his coaches and parents...
"I have to thank my coach. He has always believed in me and let me do my own thing. My parents have been there for me as long as I can remember, and also, my sister is a swimmer at Auburn and is my number one fan. Finally, I have to thank my team. Without them, this wouldn't mean anything."

Matt Grevers, Northwestern (100 Backstroke)On winning the 100 Backstroke...
"It is excellent to get the record. It is always nice to leave your mark, and have a piece of your legacy here. This is the road of every swimmer. I've missed out on social events, school is more difficult, but that is what swimmers do. It is just awesome to get an award for it."

On the help of his coaches and parents...
"I have to thank everyone that has been a part of this. Obviously, I couldn't have done this without my coaches and their guidance. My parents came out here to watch me and they're up in the stands, leading the cheerblock. Finally, my brother and sister are former swimmers and have always been there to watch me and root me on."

Mitch Richeson, Ohio State (3-meter diving)On winning the 3-meter dive competition...
"This win has been a long time coming. I have been in finals every year, last year I was really close and I finished second. This year, everything came together, and it means a lot to me."

On Ohio State's four-man showing on the podium...
"We didn't expect it, but we sure wanted it. We worked really hard this season, and it was great for all of us to make it to the finals."